Your Ultimate Guide To Spring Attractions And Activities In New Mexico

Raise your hand if you're as ready for spring as I am! After spending more time than you want indoors just to stay warm, once spring arrives, we want nothing more than to head outdoors and enjoy all the wonderful things the great outdoors offers. But what should we do when spring arrives? Well, we compiled a list of the best things to do in New Mexico in spring, and I think you'll like the suggestions!

Flower Blooms In New Mexico

Yay, spring is here and the flowers are in bloom! If you're looking for some of the most beautiful flower blooms in the state, check out the following places:

Location: San Antonio, NM

Popularity: This is an incredibly popular park especially to see the bird migrations.

Price: $5/vehicle

Best known for sandhill crane migration, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful park to enjoy nature year-round. Go for a hike and keep your eyes peeled for flowering desert plants and cacti. The desert comes alive with color during the spring!

Location: Las Cruces, NM

Popularity: This is a bit of a hidden gem park managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Price: No fee

Set in Southern New Mexico, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument is an absolute underrated gem! Its neatly 500,000 acres of rugged landscapes of forests, desert, and mountains are ripe for exploration. And when springtime arrives, some of the landscape turns into a colorful field of blooms.

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Popularity: This is such a hidden gem and a must-visit.

Price: No cost

Located at the base of the Sandia Mountains in Northern New Mexico, Sandia Foothills Open Space happens to be an excellent spot to view wildflowers and flowering cacti come springtime. Go for a hike and enjoy your time through this park's 2,650 acres. It's worth taking a day trip here in the spring! If you're looking for other ideas in the Albuquerque area, how about a walking tour? Check out these guided tours on Viator.

Botanical Gardens In New Mexico

If you enjoy learning about flowers as much as you enjoy looking at them, a botanical garden is the best place to visit. Luckily the Land of Enchantment is home to quite a few enchanting gardens you must visit this spring!

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Popularity: This is the most popular botanical garden and zoo in New Mexico.

Price: $10/NM resident; $14.50/non-resident; $5/NM resident youth (3-12); $6/non-resident youth (3-12)

With a zoo and a botanical garden, you can certainly plan a day trip to the ABQ BioPark. While we could go on and on about the zoo, we are just going to focus on the 36-acre botanical garden for now. This botanical garden also includes a 10,000-square-foot conservatory, a Japanese garden, formal gardens, and a whole lot more! This is one of the best family things to do in New Mexico in spring.

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Popularity: This is a popular attraction in town during the warmer months.

Price: $5-$12/non-member. Members are admitted for free.

The Santa Fe Botanical Garden focuses on conservation, education, and preservation through its three major gardens. The Orchard Gardens include a fruit orchard as well as a meadow and a xeric garden while the Ojos y Manos: Eyes and Hands Garden has a collection of plants in raised beds. The third garden is The Piñon-Juniper Woodland which offers views of the mountains off in the distance. Once spring arrives, you should add this to your bucket list. It's a lovely place to visit in the Southwest!

If you're spending time in Santa Fe, be sure to check out the art galleries, the New Mexico Museum of Art that showcases some wonderful Native American and New Mexican art, the Santa Fe Plaza, and so much more. I also suggest a visit to nearby Taos, small town where you can visit the Taos Pueblo and, if you're looking for a ski area in the winter, the Taos Ski Valley.

Parks To Visit In New Mexico This Spring

Want to spend an afternoon at the park? Enjoy spending time outdoors hiking, biking, or just enjoying nature coming back to life after a long winter at one of these parks in New Mexico:

Location: Las Cruces, NM

Popularity: This is a relatively popular spot in Southern New Mexico, however, you can still enjoy plenty of peace and quiet.

Price: $5/vehicle

Looking for a road trip destination that happens to be one of the best cheap things to do in New Mexico in spring? Well, I suggest visiting Dripping Springs Natural Area. Here you'll find a visitor center, hiking trails, and wildlife galore!

Location: Mountainair, NM

Popularity: This is an underrated national monument that's worth visiting for its history and culture.

Price: No entry fee is charged if you're looking for free things to do in New Mexico in spring.

Explore ancient Pueblo dwellings amidst rolling meadows at this national monument. This is a small monument at just 90 acres but it's worth taking a few hours to explore once spring is here and the weather warms up.

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Popularity: This is a popular family-friendly park that locals enjoy.

Price: Free

Once the warm weather arrives, those of us who have children look for family things to do in New Mexico in spring. One place that is a must-visit in Albuquerque is Sister Cities Park. With tennis, picnic tables, a playground, and plenty of open space to play sports.

Spring Hikes In New Mexico

Get outside and get some exercise by hitting the trails this spring. With so many amazing hiking trails around New Mexico, you could hike all season long! Here are a few of our favorite trails to get you started:

Location: Sunspot, NM

Popularity: A hidden gem. It's unlikely you'll find many others on the trail

Price: No fee

If you're looking for cheap things to do in New Mexico in spring, hiking is always a good option and one of the best outdoor activities there is. Located within Lincoln National Forest, the Deadman Canyon Loop is 2.9 miles and rated as easy, and you'll enjoy beautiful woodland scenery along the way.

Location: Sandia Park, NM

Popularity: This national forest is quite a popular place for outdoor adventures.

Price: Free

The Tecolote Trail is found within the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands which encompasses well over 1.9 million acres. While this trail only touches upon the smallest area of this park, it's quite popular for hiking, birdwatching, and wildlife viewing in the spring. It's an easy trail at 2.5 miles and you'll be able to view spring wildflowers along the way.

Location: Carlsbad, NM

Popularity: This is a fairly popular spot for waterfall chasing.

Price: $10/car

Because of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad is a popular getaway destination. If you do plan on visiting the caverns, there's another spot you should also check out -- Sitting Bull Falls. Located in Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area, you can take a hike to 150-foot waterfall that cascades into a pool below. It's an oasis in the desert that can't be missed!

Spring Picnic Spots In New Mexico

For those of you looking for romantic things to do in New Mexico in spring, how about a picnic? Grab your picnic basket, pack some food and drinks, and head on out to one of the best picnic spots in the state!

Location: Alamogordo, NM

Popularity: This natural wonder is one of the most popular day trip destinations in New Mexico.

Price: $15-$25

Located between Las Cruces and Alamogordo, White Sands National Monument is a sight to behold. With nearly 300 square miles of desert made of gypsum crystals, it's the largest of its kind in the world. Not only can you partake in outdoor adventures like hiking and dune sledding but picnicking as well. You honestly can't find a more picturesque spot to picnic than here at White Sands.

Location: Carlsbad, NM

Popularity: This is a gorgeous and popular park in Carlsbad.

Price: Free

Want to spend time by the water this spring? There's no better place than Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area. The Pecos River runs through this 125-acre park offering visitors outdoor activities like boating, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and more. It's one of the best family things to do in New Mexico in spring.

Location: Bloomfield, NM

Popularity: This is a hidden gem worth making a stop.

Price: Free

Road trips are always fun, especially along Route 66. However, if you decide to take US Highway 550, you can make a pit stop at Angel Peak Badlands Overlook. With incredible views of the badlands, it's also a picturesque place to pull over for a picnic. The views are jaw-dropping here!

So, what do you think of this list of the best things to do in New Mexico in spring? Is there anything you would add? Let us know in the comments!